Johnny Manziel is heating up the break with chatter about his NFL return.
The former Browns quarterback, who played two seasons before being flamed by the league in 2016, addressed recent fan speculation after he was photographed wearing a Dolphins hat on Tuesday.
“If @JManziel2 takes care of the dolphins, maybe they’ll come back,” one user wrote to X. Manziel, 31, responded:“Absolutely not, my time for football is over. I love Tua and Mike McDaniel, so I’m always rooting for them. I’m a fan…”
Manziel was referring to Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and head coach Mike McDaniel, who made the playoffs last month but lost to the Chiefs in the wild-card round.
Manziel burst onto the national stage in 2012, becoming the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy after a standout season at Texas A&M.
After declaring for the 2014 NFL Draft and being selected 22nd overall by the Browns, Manziel’s life spiraled as he battled substance abuse issues and off-field scandals.
“[It] “It didn’t take long for me to come to Cleveland and realize I wasn’t going to be happy there,” Manziel recalled in the 2023 Netflix documentary “Johnny Football.”
“I had everything I wanted. Money, fame, a first-round draft pick competing for the starting quarterback position, and when I got everything I wanted, I think my heart was the emptiest it had ever been.”
In addition to his bipolar disorder diagnosis, Manziel spoke candidly about his battle with alcohol in a 2018 interview on “Good Morning America.”
Since being kicked out of the NFL, Manziel has played in the CFL and the now-defunct Alliance of American Football League. He recently joined the Fan Controlled Football League.
Although returning to the NFL was never a dream, Manziel seems to have let go of his football dreams and is content to be just a fan.
